Hue Festival has become Thua Thien-Hue province’s tourism brand. (Photo: VOV)

Hue Festival 2024 continues its four-season orientation with events taking place throughout the year.

With the theme “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development,” this year’s Festival began with the “Ban Soc” (Calendar distribution) ceremony on January 1 and will end with the “Countdown” program on December 31.

The highlight of the Festival is the ongoing Hue International Arts Festival Week. Nguyen Van Phuong, Chairman of Thua Thien-Hue province’s People’s Committee, said that Hue International Arts Festival Week 2024 includes dozens of performances and activities by art troupes from 7 countries, showcasing culture and the arts in relation to international integration, cooperation, and exchanges.

“The performances are taking place in the Imperial Citadel and on the streets,” he said. 

Nguyen Van Phuong, Chairman of Thua Thien-Hue province’s People’s Committee, introduces Hue Festival 2024 at a press conference in Hanoi on May 9, 2024. (Photo: Mai Mai/ VNA)

The Hue Festival was first organized by Thua Thien-Hue authorities in collaboration with the French Embassy in Vietnam in 2000. Since then the Festival has established itself as popular cultural entertainment that boosts Vietnam’s economic development.

Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang said that the Hue Festival promotes Hue culture and the broader, diverse Vietnamese culture that has existed for thousands of years. It highlights cultural heritages and the effort to preserve and honor those heritages for sustainable development, mutual understanding, inter-cultural cooperation, and social cohesion, she said.

Tran Thu Trang, a visitor from Hanoi, has attended the Hue Festival several times. Trang said that in Hue she feels unique tangible and intangible cultural values.

“I’ve seen some spectacular scenery and enjoyed royal music, Hue cuisine, and the architectural works of the Complex of Hue Monuments.”

The Hue Festival has evolved with the tastes of the public. Thua Thien-Hue province is striving to become a centrally-run city dedicated to preserving and promoting the identity of Hue.

“We need to develop and promote the Festival as a venue for cultural exchange, and exploit the cultural heritages of Hue and other localities as tourism products to boost socio-economic development,” Nguyen Thanh Binh, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said.